I wrote a blog post for my publisher’s website (Mark Batty in NYC) about “The Making Of” Crazy Wacky Theme Restaurants. Here it is below, with a bonus photo!

The concept was, from the start, a Kool-Aid trip: photograph and write about Tokyo’s bizarre new crop of theme restaurants. But my friends and I decided to up the game by not only observing but participating in the madness. For the Alice in Wonderland cafe, we wore costumes based on the characters (above: Cheshire Cat and the author as the Queen of Hearts). When it came time to shoot the tavern serviced by monkey waiters, I went disguised as a primate. Here’s a glimpse at the whirlwind antics that didn’t make it into Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants.

My Goth friends and I were quite the funeral procession as we walked to Vampire Cafe in Ginza. The blood-dripping floor and candelabras suited our aesthetic perfectly – as did the cute Dracula waiter we tried to flirt with. Above, Lady Raisu poses with the coffin-shaped drink menu and a crucifix cracker dipped in blood. (Or is that ketchup?)

My dates for the Wizard of the Opera restaurant (re-named for copyright reasons) were The Phantom and Christine Daae. The backstory: “It’s easy to spot Jim in Ikebukuro Station – the floor-length cape and half-mask give him away. Sebastien and Mayumi wear ominous Eyes Wide Shut masks, while Yukiro’s interpretation of Christine Daae involves glittery eyelashes and a tiara. “I got this gown from a transsexual,” he explains. “The shoes belong to my roommate.” [...] “Why are they playing Disney tunes on the stereo?” Jim wonders, loudly. “This is wrong, all wrong!” He throws on skeleton gloves and beckons at our poor waiter. “Can’t you put on Gothic music? Or at least something Lloyd Webber?” Half an hour later, we hear the title track – Beneath the opera house, I know he’s there…” (We also shot a video at the restaurant, which you can watch here.)

Our beloved I Am Sebastien became a black rabbit for the Alice in Wonderland cafe (left). He created an Eyes Wide Shut mask with red glowing eyes for the Wizard of the Opera restaurant (right). That’s a red folded napkin on his head!

The most extreme of the bunch? It’s hard to choose, but the haunted mental hospital and prison restaurants (Alcatraz E.R. and The Lock-Up) are as out there as it gets. You’re drinking a cock-tail – as in, there’s a penis floating in it – when the lights go off and a red siren blares. Get ready to scream: it’s a full-out monster attack!

Hungry for more J-pop wackiness? There’s daily content here on my La Carmina blog, where I post daily about Harajuku fashion, cute food, fold-eared kitties and much more. For more info about Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo, check out this page.